The Education Bureau is pushing to turn primary and secondary school textbooks electronic after failing to get publishers to sell their textbooks separately from other items.
Publishers now bundle textbooks with other learning materials - such as CD-Roms, study notes and guides - for sale, pushing up prices and angering parents.
The publishers refused the government's call to unbundle the books in the coming academic year, citing problems with production costs.
Secretary for Education Michael Suen Ming-yeung has been looking into introducing digital materials to keep prices down and create a diversified learning environment.
Suen said: 'E-textbooks are more flexible, because they can be updated without having to reprint. They can appeal to different stages of learning, and they cut down on costs for the consumer.'